free or cheap replacement to Windows Movie Maker?

I hope this is the right place for this question, i am new to this forum.

I like making and editing videos but i don't have much money to pay for a good professional program. I try to use Windows Movie Maker but it has so many problems, it keeps freezing, or closing on its own, and the latest version on Vista always leaves a big green block under the video. I tried getting a slightly older version but it still keeps freezing and i keep losing work etc.
I have looked in the internet for some free alternatives but they either won't download, or they are only a trial version and the full costs a lot, or it just doesn't seem to work, or it is too complicated.

Can anyone recommend any good, fairly simple video editing programs that i can get for free or for a low price?

I have tried downloading some free trials to try them out, so far i have tried Ulead Video Studio 11, Sony Vegas Movie Studio and Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 but they seem a little advanced for me, i want something simple, and if possible where when i upload the video, it splits it up like Movie Maker does.

How long did you spend with each of the trial apps? Some of the applications will take a good few hours to get to terms with, but the reward is worth the investment. If however the trial software was simply far too fancy, then you may well need something that's a lot more stripped down.

I would suggest you take a look at Muvee AutoProducer 6. This automatically generates video from your content, but may well be a step too far in the opposite direction! Also take a look at Magix Movie Edit.